Health ShortsMarch 2005Get UV Protection in Your Sunglasses
When you buy sunglasses, be sure to look for a label specifying what kind of protection the glasses offer against ultraviolet rays. They should protect your eyes from both UVA and UVB rays, blocking 99 to 100 percent of all rays. Glasses that are merely tinted without UV protection cause more harm than wearing no sunglasses at all. The tinted lenses allow the pupil to dilate, letting in more harmful rays.
If you're unsure about your sun glasses, have them tested at an optical store or your eye doctor's office. [SOURCE: "Sunglass Safety: When Selecting Sunglasses, There's More at Stake than Style," American Fitness, July-August, 2004] Know UV Index Before Venturing Out
Any time you plan to be out in the sun, listen for the UV Index on the local weather report...and use sunscreen accordingly. A standardized measure of UV radiation levels, the Global Solar Ultraviolet Index was developed by the World Health Organization and recently adopted by the United States in order to raise awareness about the importance of protecting the skin and eyes against ultraviolet radiation.
[SOURCE: Mary Ellen Schneider, "Global UV Index," Skin & Allergy News, August, 2004] Broccoli Protects Eyes from UV Rays
The eyes as well as the skin are vulnerable to oxidative damage caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation. With advancing age, the eye becomes less efficient at removing oxidants, resulting eventually in macular degeneration and blindness. Studies have shown that sulforaphane, a compound found in broccoli and broccoli sprouts, helps protect the retina of the eye against oxidative damage.
[SOURCE: David Kosub, "USA: Eating Broccoli Could Protect Eyes from UV Light-Research," Just-Food-Com, September 6, 2004] Sunglasses Best Protection for Eyes
Sunglasses offer excellent protection against ultraviolet radiation from the sun, shielding not only the lenses of the eye but the entire area, including the eyelids. UV-absorbing contact lenses are available but should not be used as a substitute for sunglasses. Doctors point out that it's important to wear sunglasses on cloudy as well as sunny days and during winter as well as summer. Whenever there is light outside, ultraviolet A and B rays can reach your eyes and skin and cause damage.
[SOURCE: "Sunglass Safety: When Selecting Sunglasses, There's More at Stake than Style," American Fitness, July-August, 2004] Uninsured Less Likely To Seek Care
With rising health care costs and burgeoning numbers of uninsured persons, the pressure on emergency departments has multiplied. Emergency rooms are required by law to provide care regardless of a person's ability to pay or insurance status. One recent study conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, however, found that low-income and uninsured patients were not coming to emergency rooms more frequently but instead were becoming less likely to seek health care in any setting. In fact, children from low-income families with poor access to health care were five times less likely to use the emergency room for asthma care than were children from families with higher quality primary health care.
[SOURCE: "Pediatric Asthma Patients Not Using ER as Often as Once Thought," Obesity, Fitness and Wellness Week, May 29, 2004] ER Rule: Keep Patients Moving
With an aging population and more uninsured patients, emergency departments will continue to face problems of overcrowding. The solution is to make the emergency room more efficient, triaging patients to assess the seriousness of their illness or injury and providing speedy treatment to those with life-threatening conditions. One medical center, using a model based on the way customers are moved through airports and restaurants, reduced average ER waiting time by one third.
[SOURCE: "Boston Medical Center Improves ER Efficiency Using Retail 'Keep Customers Moving' Theory," Health Care Strategic Management, August, 2004] Supportive Care Improves Outcomes
Supportive care-which considers the social, psychological and spiritual needs of the patient as well as pain control-is an important adjunct to cancer therapy, according to a recent review of research. Patients with gastrointestinal cancer given supportive care in addition to chemotherapy fared better than those given chemotherapy alone, both in terms of survival and quality of life. The authors wrote: "Adding comprehensive supportive care to chemotherapy for gastrointestinal cancer improves patients' outcomes."
[SOURCE: "Chemotherapy and Supportive Care Are a Winning Combination," Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week, August 14, 2004] Exercise Best for Diabetes Prevention
The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), a study of 3,200 significantly overweight subjects with impaired glucose tolerance and a high risk of developing diabetes, found that exercise provided better protection than an oral diabetes medication. Subjects taking part in an exercise program (150 minutes a week) plus weight loss counseling had a 58 percent reduced risk of getting diabetes, compared to a 31 percent reduction for subjects taking metformin along with lifestyle counseling.
[SOURCE: Bruce Agnew, "Improve Your Fitness One Step at a Time: When It Comes To Walking for Health, All the Recent News Is Good News," Diabetes Forecast, September, 2003] Bond with Your Dog and Lose Weight
When your dog wants to go out, do you give him a proper walk or hurry him along so you can get back to your TV show? Both dogs and owners can benefit from regular exercise. In a study conducted by the Bassett Research Institute, dog owners were asked to take their pets for a 30-minute walk twice a day. After six months, nearly all of the dogs and about half of the owners lost weight.
[SOURCE: Jack Robertiello, "Fitness with Fido: You and Your Best Friend Should run for the Hills! Here's Why," Current Health 2, February, 2005] Brisk Walking Better for Bone Density
It's well known that weight bearing exercise helps build bone density, countering the effect of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. A recent University of Michigan study found that brisk walking was more helpful than walking at a slower, less challenging pace. Subjects walking at 110 percent of ventilatory threshold (the stage at which breathing becomes more rapid) increased bone mineral density while those walking at intensities below 110 percent showed little or no change.
[SOURCE: Nicholas Mulcahy, "Brisk Walking Sparks Rise in Bone Mineral Density: 15-Week Study," Family Practice News, February 15, 2004] Will a Pedometer Increase Motivation?
In an effort to increase motivation, some walkers have started using pedometers, mechanical devices that count the number of steps taken during a day or week. Public health officials have promoted a "10,000 steps a day" program-equal to about five miles. One study, however, found that subjects given a pedometer did no better over a four-week period than subjects using a goal setting plan. In a long-term followup, only 2 of the 50 subjects were still regularly using pedometers after a year's time.
[SOURCE: N. Mutrie, L. Galloway, P. Macdonald and S. McDonald, "Will Pedometers Help People Maintain the Walking Habit?" Journal of Sports Sciences" February, 2005] Brisk but Comfortable Close Enough
When you're walking for exercise, most experts recommend a pace that is "brisk but comfortable"-slow enough that you can carry on a conversation but too fast to sing. A recent treadmill study confirmed that when subjects were told to walk at a "brisk but comfortable" pace, their heart rate and level of exertion was in a range considered safe but challenging enough to improve their cardiovascular fitness.
[SOURCE: "Walking Rx: Brisk but Comfortable," Saturday Evening Post, September-October, 2004] Health Information: Check the Source
When seeking health information on the internet-or anywhere else, for that matter-it's important to pay close attention to the source. One recent study found accurate and reliable information on sites such as those run by government organizations (.gov) and others recognized for reliability such as WebMD and Johns Hopkins but a great deal of misinformation on other sites located by search engines such as Google and Yahoo. For a more reliable and useful search, try a library database such as Infotrac Health Reference Center or the search engines at sites sponsored by well known medical organizations such as the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association or the Centers for Disease Control.
[SOURCE: J.D. Cooper and H.M. Feder, Jr. "Inaccurate Information about Lymne Disease on the Internet," Pediatric Infectious Diseases Journal, December, 2004] Who Benefits from Spinal Manipulation?
As a treatment for lower back pain, spinal manipulation-whether performed by a chiropractor, a physical therapist or a physician-has been somewhat controversial, and studies have shown mixed results. A recent study of military personnel found spinal manipulation to be "highly effective" for lower back pain patients meeting at least four of the following five criteria: - pain that has lasted 16 days or less,
- pain that does not extend below the knee,
- a patient who is willing to return to normal activities,
- stiffness in the lower spine but a fairly good ability to rotate the hips.
[SOURCE: "Will Spinal Manipulation Help You?" Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, March, 2005] | 
